Georgia Tech vs UCF Picks: Will Knights Thrive in Home State?
Central Florida Makes Short Trip to Tampa For Gasparilla Bowl
You can expect plenty of rushing, as Central Florida will be playing close to home when they play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Gasparilla Bowl. It wasn’t an easy time in the Big 12 Conference for the Knights. But they managed to get a sixth win in the last game of the year. Georgia Tech picked up a couple of nice wins during the season to become bowl-eligible.
UCF opened as 6.5-point favorites, but the line has been bet down to Knights -4.5. The total jumped from 61.5 to its current 64, while UCF moved from -215 to -195 on the moneyline. In Georgia Tech vs UCF picks, we’ll look at the spread, moneyline and total to come up with the best plays.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs UCF Knights 
Day/Time:
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Stram: ESPN
Georgia Tech Was Tough Underdog
The underdog role suited the Yellow Jackets pretty well during the season. Georgia Tech was 4-4 straight-up and 6-2 against the point spread. The Yellow Jackets won twice outright as a double-digit underdog, knocking off Miami and North Carolina. So, Georgia Tech comes to play regardless of who the opponent is.
The Yellow Jackets are a solid team offensively. Led by dual-threat quarterback Haynes King, Georgia Tech scored 31.2 points against teams that allowed 25.1 points. Georgia Tech rushes for 197.2 yards and throws for 235.5 yards per game. The Yellow Jackets gained 6.5 yards per play against teams that allowed 5.6 yards on average.
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets allowed 30.5 points to teams averaging 27.5 points. Georgia Tech struggled against the run, allowing 5.5 yards per carry to NCAAF teams who averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Overall, the Yellow Jackets allowed 6.3 yards per play to teams that averaged 5.8 yards.
Georgia Tech will be missing a couple of defensive players, but fared better than many teams when it comes to players transferring. The Yellow Jackets were 7-5 overall against the spreads college football and went 9-3 in totals. Both games with totals in the 60s went over the number.
Knights Keep Bowl Streak Alive
UCF will play in its eighth consecutive bowl game, something the team was excited about following its victory against Houston to clinch a bowl berth. While it’s not a marquee college bowl, motivation shouldn’t be a problem for the Knights, who should have the crowd advantage.
The Knights will run the ball, which is what they do best. UCF averages 233.2 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. UCF can throw the football, as well, with John Rhys Plumlee, a solid dual threat at quarterback.
UCF’s defense was tested by some solid teams in the Big 12, but they played decently for the most part. The Knights allowed 25.4 points to teams averaging 27.9 points. UCF was tough against the pass, but the run defense left something to be desired. The Knights allowed 5.0 yards per rush to teams averaging 4.5 yards a carry.
The Knights won this game a few years ago, but that was against the Florida Gators, so you know they had no trouble getting up for that game. The college football players sound excited to be here, but they’re not going to say anything differently.
The Knights were over-priced at times during the season, finishing 5-6-1 against the spreads. In totals, UCF was 6-6, but just 1-4 when the total was higher than 60. The Knights finished the season on an 0-4 totals run.
Knights Appear to Be the Team to Beat
Even though the Yellow Jackets have been getting the early money in the NCAAF picks and parlays, there’s a decent case to be made for taking the Knights. Central Florida played a tougher schedule than Georgia Tech and is better defensively. Those using the Sagarin ratings will have UCF at least 7.87 points better in their college football bowl predictions.
The first of the Georgia Tech vs UCF picks will be the Knights both against the spread and on the moneyline. Georgia Tech ended the season with a hard-fought loss against rival Georgia. Picking themselves up and getting up for UCF might be a challenge. The Knights should have the edge in running the ball and are tough when the ground game is working.
The last of the Georgia Tech vs UCF picks on the total is going to be following the line move and taking the over 64. The Yellow Jackets should score some points, but the Knights should score more. It’s hard to imagine either team being shut down in this game.
For NCAAF betting odds, college football scores, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
